Three Spheres of Learning

 

Learning Oriented: (click for the PLE map)

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“Knowledge is not intended to fill minds, it is intended to open them” (Siemens, 2006, p.21).

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As a maker’s community, Kollabora is by definition a learning-oriented community for new or developing skill sets. Members share, adapt, advise, reflect and display their work in hopes of connecting with others and furthering their learning. Users can enter the network at any skill level and find support both from appropriate pattern and DIY skill levels, as well as mentors with higher expertise abilities who can provide feedback or host ‘make along’ sessions, showing how to complete a project step-by-step. These extend to the many other network platforms, such as YouTube, where instructional videos are often shared.

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This sphere of learning also represents the orientation towards future success and opportunities for career (Ito et al., 2013). Although the Kollabora community is based around free sharing of ideas and patterns, it also provides the opportunity for designers to sell their patterns and to list their design brand as a marketing opportunity for users to connect with and follow. Budding designers are able to begin or expand their professional career using this site, however, Kollabora ensures that applicants move through an application process and meet their criteria of ‘new, up and coming designers’ to prevent the marketplace being flooded with established commercial businesses and organisations, thereby retaining its community driven structure.

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A unique feature of Kollabora is its link to materials and resources – it provides users with the exact requirement of materials needed to create something and allows them to order directly from the site. This supports the community focus of being Production Centred (click here to read more about this in a feature article by Wired Magazine on Kollabora).